Understanding cognition has become central in understanding individual learning, judgment and decision making, and problem-solving behaviour. Research on learning and cognition has contributed significantly to understand how humans process information, acquire knowledge, and make decisions at work. The present course addresses the functioning of human cognitive system and its effects on learning and thinking. Attention will be paid to perception, problem solving, decision making, creativity and expertise. During the course students will study theoretical concepts, do experiments in class and outside class. At the end of the course students will be able to analyse issues like: Is a school the place to be for learning? Why is it more difficult to unlearn instead of learn new things? Why is it that smart managers make mistakes? This course also supports you in reflecting on your own learning process. This course is a good basis for other courses with behavioural aspects/topics. This can be courses in Marketing, Organisation, Finance and Economics. The course consists of two tracks: 1. Content track: PBL sessions on topics of learning and knowledge development. Ending in a written exam 2. Experimental Research: for each topic students will do experiments as well in class as outside class. These experiments give the students the opportunity to apply the concepts of the theories. A selection of these experiments, their results and the theoretical context need to be described in a report.

The course Quantitative Research Methods (SKI2065) builds further on the courses Research Methods I & II. We will train you in preparing your own research, collecting and analyzing data. It is a hands-on skills training that guides you through various stages of the research process. You will learn step-by-step how to formulate research questions, where to find relevant literature, and how to design your research study. The present course consists of a series of short practical assignments that make you familiar with various methodological and statistical issues. These assignments serve as preparation for the core of the present course: design your own research in a small research team. We will encourage you to design a small-scale study about questions that are formulated by your student team. In week 1 you will learn how to build new data sets based on data which were collected with the course-evaluation system of Maastricht University. Week 2 pays attention to different ways of analyzing these data. In addition we will train you in presenting research results: tables & figures. Week 3 covers which issues you need to resolve when designing your own small-scale study: define your theoretical model, develop your (experimental) research design, and decide which measures can be used to collect data. At the same time, you will be trained on how to write short research reports about your research method and results. From week 4 onwards you will have the opportunity to investigate your own research questions (without restriction) within a small student team. It is up to student teams to decide what they want to research, how to research it, and how to analyze the data you collected. For example, in previous courses students researched the effects of alcohol and narcotics (ab)use on course results; whether use of different news media is related to social-economic class; how student’s memory and text recall is affected by visual distractors; or whether being in love has any effect on student achievement. Week 4 and 5 put data collection central. Data analysis is the focus of week 6. The final course part pays attention to presentation of your research work to other students and staff.

Why is it so difficult to capture and disseminate knowledge? Why is sharing expertise within teams, organisations or companies a challenge for experts and managers? Why is learning from each other in small groups and teams so difficult? Why does schooling not automatically result in increased performance? The present course will introduce you in the emerging field of expertise development, knowledge sharing, and team learning. The course is based on insights from the cognitive and learning sciences. It analyses learning demands within schools and organisations, and identifies key variables that play a role when people learn together in a classroom setting or at the workplace. Critical design rules are identified which stimulate learning in schools and organisations. This course is relevant for students who are interested in socio-cognitive foundations of schooling, training, and knowledge management. Theoretical insights are applied in the analysis of a variety of practical situations characterized by people working and learning (together).